Gov. Phil Murphy was emphatic that face masks will stay for students despite push back from Trenton lawmakers. “Unequivocally, the mask mandates in school and daycare centers will continue for the foreseeable future,” said Murphy at a press briefing Jan. 10. “They are the only responsible course of action at this time. We can not change gears on this in the middle of this tsunami…I will not let that happen.” At issue is the legislation that would reduce the health emergency powers that Murphy requested by 90 days but that the State Senate and Assembly are not willing to do. North-JerseyNews.com
After Murphy’s statements, leaders in the State Senate and Assembly did not post a resolution extending Gov. Phil Murphy’s pandemic-related emergency powers. State Senate President Steve Sweeney and Republican Senators said they were not informed of the governor’s decision to keep the school mask mandate in place. Sweeney and called the governor’s decision to make the mask mandate announcement “just disrespectful. We are an equal branch of government…I wasn’t consulted. It’s just aggravating.” PoliticoNJ
The current number of pediatric COVID cases in the state is “at the highest level since the pandemic began” and two recently died because of the virus, according to New Jersey’s Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli. There are currently 82 pediatric patients in New Jersey hospitals with COVID-positive tests—27 admitted with a primary diagnosis of COVID. “In New Jersey, more than 90% of the children who are currently hospitalized with COVID have not received a single shot. Less than 3% have been fully vaccinated,” she said. “Data from the CDC indicates that unvaccinated adolescents between 12 and 17 are 10 times more likely to be hospitalized than children who have been vaccinated.” NJ1015.com
The surge of omicron cases in New Jersey may continue throughout January, with peak hospitalizations occurring in early February. State health officials expect cases to stay at 20,000 to 30,000 daily for the duration of January, followed by hospitalizations projected to reach about 8,000 probably by the end of the third week in January and going into the first week in February. NJ.com
Lawmakers approved two bills intended to help schools struggling with continuing staffing issues amid the coronavirus pandemic. One bill (A5576) would allow retired teachers to return to the classroom through the 2022-2023 school year and still collect their pensions, while a second (S4203) would eliminate the requirement for public school employees to live in the state for three years before they are hired. Currently, public school employees can’t reside outside New Jersey unless they have a waiver, largely barring schools from hiring people living in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New York. The measures come as school districts around the state are reporting staffing issues that have led them to return to virtual instruction or close entirely. More than a quarter of New Jersey schools were closed Jan. 10 due to COVID-related matters, including staffing shortages. New Jersey Monitor
Gov. Phil Murphy signed S-3416 into law Jan. 10, codifying marriage equality in New Jersey. The law would ensure marriage equality remained in the state, even if a state of federal court overturned the previous cases. “This is about acting to ensure equal treatment and civil rights for all New Jerseyans, including same-sex couples,” said outgoing State Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-3). “Marriage equality respects the rights of loving couples who deserve to be treated equally. The courts have ruled that same-sex marriages are a fundamental right, but we want to put it into statute to protect against any backtracking by the U. S. Supreme Court.” North-JerseyNews.com
An agreement has been reached with the New Jersey Turnpike Authority to provide toll relief to some North Jersey drivers. Drivers whose vehicles are registered in North Bergen, Union City, Secaucus, Guttenberg, West New York and Fairview will now automatically receive a special discount through their E-ZPass accounts. The discount will allow them to pay the original 16E toll, rather than the inflated 18E toll that they had recently been forced to pay. Hudson Reporter
Both houses of the state legislature passed the Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act that will make access to abortion a guaranteed right under state law. In the Assembly, the bill prompted a tense exchange, with Assemblyman Erik Peterson (R-23) stating “Every time there’s an abortion, it ends a life. I think we should be promoting life, not expanding abortion.” Assemblywoman Angela McKnight (D-31) was particularly incensed by Republican attempts to refocus the debate on abortion rates among Black women. “When was the last time one of my colleagues across the aisle introduced legislation to help women take care of their children?” and later added “Until you have a vagina, you have nothing to say.” Gov. Phil Murphy has indicated he is likely to sign the bill. New Jersey Globe
A bill expanding the state’s film and digital media content production tax credit program was passed by both houses Jan. 10. Sponsored by Assemblyman Gordon Johnson (D-37), William Spearman (D-5) and Raj Mukherji (D-33), the measure would increase the maximum tax credit amount for digital media productions to 30% of qualified expenses or 35% in South Jersey, increase the total amount of tax credits these projects could receive to $30 million and revises the program to allow partners who lease a portion of a film production facility — rather than an entire facility — to qualify for tax credits. ROI-NJ.com
State lawmakers from the 24th Legislative District doubled down that Gov. Phil Murphy was ignoring science in favor of politics in regards to the bear hunt. The issues has arisen against after an 81-year-old Sussex County woman was sent to the hospital after a bear attacked her and killed her dog on Jan. 3. “How many more times will the Murphy Administration allow this to happen before they finally leave wildlife management to the professionals?” asked State Sen. Steve Oroho (R-24). “The experts should be determining a sound bear management policy for New Jersey. Instead, the Administration has settled on a politically motivated policy that is dangerous and irresponsible.” North-JerseyNews.com
Former Vice President Mike Pence is reportedly growing increasingly uncomfortable with the idea of voluntary cooperation with the Jan. 6 House Select Committee. Pence has allegedly told aides that the committee has taken a sharp partisan turn by openly considering the potential for criminal referrals to the Justice Department about Donald Trump and others. Such referrals, Pence’s view, appear designed to hurt Republican chances of winning control of Congress in November. The New York Times
President Joe Biden plans to throw his weight behind congressional Democrats’ push to pass long-stalled voting rights bills, even if it requires changing Senate rules. In a speech Jan. 11, President Biden will argue that new federal laws are needed to counter recent state measures, which Dems perceive as a threat to access to the polls—particularly for minority voters. One bill, the Freedom to Vote Act, would make Election Day a national holiday, mandate 15 days of early voting and require all states to allow mail-in voting, among other changes. The other, named after the late Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), would give the federal government more control over state voting procedures, after Supreme Court rulings weakened the 1965 Voting Rights Act that gave Washington control over changes to rules in states with a history of racial discrimination. The Wall Street Journal
Ending speculation that he would not run for re-election, Rep. Tom Malinowski announced he will seek to defend the Congressional seat he currently occupies this Fall. An email titled “Malinowski Announces Plans for 2022 Election Cycle” hit inboxes across the state Jan. 10 at 10:15 a.m., with the message simply quoting Shakespeare’s Henry V: “Once more unto the breach, dear friends…’” The redrawing of the 7th Congressional District makes Malinowski more vulnerable in an expected rematch in 2022 with State Sen. Tom Kean, Jr. that saw the incumbent win by a 50.6%-49.4% margin two years ago. North-JerseyNews.com
Neil Carroll III will run for his first full term as Bayonne First Ward councilman as part of Mayor Jimmy Davis’ ticket. Carroll was appointed to replace Tommy Cotter in 2018 and then easily won a special election in 2019 to finish Cotter’s term. Carroll joins Third Ward Councilman Gary La Pelusa on the Davis ticket in the non-partisan May election. Davis, who is running for a third term, is being challenged by City Council President Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski. The challenger has not announced a slate of candidates. The Jersey Journal
New Jersey Democratic State Committee Chairman LeRoy J. Jones, Jr., has been re-elected to a new term leading the state’s Democratic Party. Jones will serve a full two-year term after being unanimously selected by the elected members of the Democratic State Committee. The other members of the party’s Executive Board were also re-elected, including vice chair Peg Schaffer, secretary Claribel Azcona-Barber and treasurer Shante Palmer. InsiderNJ
Juveniles who commit murder cannot be incarcerated for more than 20 years without being considered for resentencing or parole, a New Jersey Supreme Court ordered Jan. 10 in deciding cases involving two young offenders sentenced to much longer terms. “A juvenile who played a central role in a heinous homicide and then had a history of problematic behavior in prison, and was found to be incorrigible at the time of the later hearing, would be an unlikely candidate for relief,” New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Stuart Rabner wrote in the court’s 4-3 decision. “On the other hand, a juvenile who originally acted in response to peer pressure and did not carry out a significant role in the homicide, and who presented proof at the hearing about how he had been rehabilitated and was now fit to reenter society after two decades, could be an appropriate candidate for a lesser sentence and a reduced parole bar.” NJ Spotlight News
Community groups and environmentalists are asking Gov. Phil Murphy to stop a plan to build a $180 million gas-fired power plant along the Passaic River in Newark. The proposal comes from the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission, whose members are set to vote Jan. 13 on a contract to build the backup power plant which would keep its massive sewage treatment facility running during a prolonged power outage like the one it suffered during Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Opponents say the power plant would pump greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and exacerbate the strength and frequency of storms like Sandy, which caused the treatment plant to spew 840 million gallons of raw sewage into Newark Bay and surrounding waterways when power was disrupted. The Record
And finally…State legislators will take office at noon as a new term begins today, including the first Asian American woman and the first Muslim to serve in the New Jersey Statehouse when they are sworn in this afternoon. Gov. Phil Murphy will stream his State of the State address at 5 p.m. as well. New Jersey Globe
